Citation

Cohen JT, Neumann PJ. Health Aff. (Hope) 2007; 26(3): 636-646.

Affiliation

Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. jcohen@tufts-nemc.org

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation)

DOI

10.1377/hlthaff.26.3.636

PMID

17485738

Abstract

We compare mortality risks of several common drugs with risks related to work, transportation, and recreation. Comparing risks can provide a more intuitive sense of the magnitude of drug risks than stand-alone estimates can, to help inform policy discussions. The drug risks we quantify generally exceed the magnitude of risks for other domains (although aspirin and cars are similarly "risky" under the definition of risk used here). Nonetheless, these comparisons underscore a crucial point: that risks should not be evaluated without considering attendant benefits. We discuss the need for the Food and Drug Administration to compare risks and benefits quantitatively, consistently, and explicitly.

Language: en